ADENOIDS 

What  They  Are 

How  To  Recognize  Them 

What  To  Do  For  Them 


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KEEP  WELL  SERIES  No.  2     ..0»^' 


TREASURY  DEPARTMENT 
UNITED  STATES  PUBLIC  HEALTH  SERVICE 

1919 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTINQ  OFFICE 


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UNITED  STATES 

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ADENOIDS 

T^ATURE  intends  that  we  should  breathe 
Ua  through  the  nose  and  has  so  arranged 
matters  that  the  air  is  strained,  warmed,  and 
moistened  as  it  passes  through  the  nose. 
This  is  very  important. 

Unfortunately  about  10  per  cent  of  all 
children  have  adenoids  which  interfere  with 
free  breathing  through  the  nose.  So  many  seri- 
ous results  follow  this 
condition  that  parents 
should  learn  some- 
thing about  adenoids 
and  their  treatment. 

WHAT  ARE  ADENOIDS? 

Inasmuch  as.  ade- 
noids are  tucked  away 
up  behind  the  palate, 
and  are  therefore  out 
of  sight,  it  may  be  well  to  study  the  picture 
shown  above. 

The  air  passes  into  the  lungs  as  shown 
by  the  arrows.  At  the  place  marked  "AT" 
nature  has  provided  a  kind  of  moist  cushion 
which  helps  to  filter  impurities  out  of  the  air. 
This  cushion  is  formed  of  what  doctors  call 
"adenoid  tissue"  and  is  similar  to  that  which 


l.'{f>.-2.-. 


m 


makes  up  the  tonsils. 
When  this  adenoid  tis- 
sue grows  abnormally 
large  it  forms  what  are 
known  as  "adenoids." 
From  the  position  of 
these  adenoids  as 
shown  on  the  diagram 
it  will  readily  be  seen 
how  easily  they  inter- 
fere with  proper  nasal  breathing. 

WHAT  ADENOIDS  DO. 

One  of  the  first  results  of  the  growth  of 
adenoids  is  mouth  breathing.  When  this 
condition  develops,  the  air  breathed  in 
reaches  the  throat  and  lungs  in  an  unpuri- 
fied  condition.  Moreover,  it  is  not  suffi- 
ciently warmed  or  moistened.  In  a  short 
time,  therefore,  such  children  begin  to  suffer 
from  repeated  colds,  and  show  the  signs  of 
a  beginning  of  nasal  catarrh.  Unless  proper 
treatment  is  now  undertaken  the  condition 
soon  gets  worse,  and  the  child's  nasal  breath- 
ing becomes  more  and  more  obstructed. 

Children  who  suffer  from  adenoids  are 
usually  pale,  often  narrow-chested,  and  alto- 
gether are  not  as  strong  and  robust  as  are 
normal  children. 


But  this  is  by  no  means  all  of  the  harm 
done  by  adenoids.  They  affect  the  voice,  dis- 
figure the  facial  expression,  interfere  with  hear- 
ing, give  rise  to  night  terrors,  open  the  way 
for  serious  invasions  by  disease  germs,  and, 
through  the  development  of  chronic  nasal 
catarrh,  may  lead  to  loss 
of  the  sense  of  smell. 

The  alteration  of  the 
facial  expression  is  often 
so  great  that  the  child 
looks  stupid  and  some- 
times even  half-imbecile. 

One  of  the  chief  disfig- 
urements caused  by  ade- 
noids is  that  of  the  jaws 
and  teeth.  This  is  well 
shown  in  the  picture. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  stupid  Expression  Associated  with 

the  teeth  of  the  upper  Adenoids 

jaw  stick  out  and  are  not  covered  by  the  lip 
as  they  should  be.  In  these  cases  the  roof  of 
the  mouth,  that  is,  the  palate,  is  narrow  and 
highly  arched,  and  the  two  jaws  do  not 
come  together  as  they  do  in  normal  persons. 
This  condition  is  called  "malocclusion." 
Usually,  too,  the  teeth  of  the  upper  jaw  are 
irregular  and  crowded.    (See  pictures,  p.  6.) 


The  malformation  of 
the  teeth  thus  produced 
by  adenoids  may  lead 
in  turn  to  other  seri- 
ous conditions,  among 
them  the  chronic  dis- 
ease known  as  pyor- 
rhea, various  forms  of 
root  infection,  and 
chronic  indigestion. 

HOW  TO  RECOGNIZE  THE  CONDITION. 

The  presence  of  adenoids  should  be  sus- 
pected if  the  child  habitually  sleeps  with  open 
mouth,  snores  a  great  deal,  or  has  frequent 
strangling  coughing  spells.  Sleeping  with 
open  mouth  is  one  of  the  first  signs  and 
should  therefore  lead  at  once  to  a  careful 
examination  by  a  physician.  Sometimes  dif- 
ficulty in  hearing  is  one  of  the  early  symp- 
toms. Therefore,  in  all  cases  of  ear  trouble 
an  examination  should 
be  made  for  adenoids. 

WHAT  TO  DO. 

Whenever  adenoids 
are  large  enough  to  give 
rise  to  any  of  the  symp- 
toms already  described. 


they  should  be  removed.  This  is  especially 
the  case  in  children  under  10  years  of  age,  for 
it  is  probable  that  the  condition  will  grow 
worse.  The  operation  is  a  simple  one  and 
not  dangerous.  It  should  be  performed  under 
anesthesia.  Relief  is  immediate  and  the  health 
and  strength  of  the  child  usually  improves 
rapidly  afterwards.  It  is  wrong  to  delay  hav- 
ing the  operation  done,  for  the  presence  of 
adenoids  not  only  endangers  the  child's  health, 
but  a  few  months*  delay  may  cause  consider- 
able malformation  of  the  jaws,  palate,  nose, 
and  face. 


Study  the  above  photographs  of  the  same 
patient  before  and  after  treatment  for  ade- 
noids. They  show  what  can  be  done  by 
proper  treatment. 


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